SHORT FILM: Becoming the stereotype – Beauty and conformity by Courtney Weakley

Our ‘Women Film-Makers’ segment wants to try to showcase the work of budding women directors. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be making films as a profession, or submitting them to festivals, you can submit something you made for a school project, or just lil experimental stuff you’ve shot by yourself or with friends. All we need is a bit of writing about yourself and the film, and a working YouTube/Vimeo link. Click here for more details on how to submit.

My name is Courtney Weakley and I am currently a 19-year-old South African design student. When I was 17, however, I decided to make a documentary for art under the theme ‘Gender Issues’ about something relevant to every teenage girl: Beauty and Conformity, or the belief that to be beautiful, you have to look like everyone else. I conducted an experiment that went as such: for a week I dressed to emulate alternative subcultures, and for another, adopted the mainstream fashion. During these weeks, I filmed reactions and conducted interviews. “Becoming the Stereotype: Beauty and Conformity” is the resulting film. My progress was also documented daily on a blog and can be found starting from here.